Navigating New Horizons in Saudi Arabia

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In this exclusive Q&A, QUO CEO David Keen offers a unique perspective on Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary journey of transformation. His reflections provide a deep dive into the Kingdom’s evolving identity, from Vision 2030 to cultural renaissance. Discover the profound changes reshaping Saudi Arabia and why its future holds global significance.

Date palms in Wadi Sharma, Saudi Arabia

QUO: QUO has been present in KSA for almost four years now. What are your key reflections from the journey so far?

Is the destination itself set to to play a bigger role in customers’ travel planning?

DK: I’ve been blessed with an incredibly diverse life where I’ve spent much of the last 40 years living and travelling in different continents, from the western world to around Asia and Europe. During the last 35 years, I’ve based myself in Asia and I’ve watched several well known destinations go through economic, social, infrastructural and political changes. And those range from Hong Kong to Bhutan, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines and several others. I’ve visited those places on multiple occasions and lived in some of them.

However, I went to Saudi Arabia for the first time in 2020, and I have never seen any place – country or destination – embark on such a significant transformation. As an outsider, my first thought was to wonder what that change means for the global perception of Saudi Arabia, which as we all know has had its own challenges.

I learned something important during a trip to a meeting about 45 minutes outside of Riyadh. I ended up in a small village because I had entered the wrong address and arrived at the wrong place with a large suitcase. Several people at the meeting venue approached me to offer help. The correct location was a 10- to 15-minute drive away.

I accepted a ride from a lawyer from Riyadh who was incredibly kind, warm and engaging. During the drive, we talked about Saudi Arabia, and he explained that the change is not about external perception. It reflects how the Saudi people feel about their country. The internal perception of the change the Saudi people are going through is what truly matters.

And the penny dropped.

Like many other places in the world, and with many brands or concepts we create, success depends on internal acceptance. The people of the Kingdom are deeply engaged with Vision 2030, the development of NEOM, the Red Sea projects, and the fundamental changes in Medina and Mecca. Their engagement with what’s happening in the country will inevitably shape the future perception of Saudi Arabia.

QUO: What are the most promising changes you’ve seen emerge from Vision 2030?

DK: A roadmap. In 1991 or 1992, I was in Bhutan, a small kingdom in the Himalayas. I was then engaged with the Ministry of Tourism on the future of Bhutan and was heavily involved in shaping the Kingdom’s identity. And one of the conversations I had about the then Fourth King of Bhutan was fundamental to the country’s infrastructural changes.

He had implemented a five-year plan, a common strategy for many developing nations. However, the king personally drove this initiative by visiting every village to ask the residents what they needed most – whether it was a school, a hospital, or other essential services. He used this information to create the five-year plan, which has since been successfully implemented, leading to Bhutan’s exponential development over the last 30 years.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia articulated Vision 2030, a similarly ambitious roadmap. It was perhaps the most audacious and courageous plan any country had ever undertaken – a fundamental shift from an oil-based economy to a multisector economy.

“And the penny dropped. Like many other places in the world, and with many brands or concepts we create, success depends on internal acceptance.”

This roadmap included some of the most groundbreaking concepts known to mankind. The concept of NEOM, for instance, is a project for humanity, envisioning the future of civilization. Saudi Arabia is creating this vision as a gift for humanity, reimagining the future of water, food, hospitality, architecture and education. To my knowledge, no other country is engaging on this level for the benefit of humanity.

Reimagining the economy away from oil-based to one that focuses on tourism, entertainment and other sectors as envisioned by His Royal Highness goes to the core of what Saudi Arabia represents.

A close friend of mine works for the Culture and Development Fund, and the projects she is undertaking aim to highlight the richness, diversity, and magnificence of Saudi culture, bringing it to life as part of that vision. Architectural developments, be it in Riyadh or Jeddah or in smaller destinations like Khobar or in Yanbu, are being fundamentally reimagined to bring Vision 2030 to life.

We are fortunate to be involved in many different projects, all of which are founded on the principles of this vision. So it’s roadmap, a mandate, an aspiration.

QUO: The luxury segment is the fastest growing hospitality sector. What are luxury and high-net-worth Saudis looking for from hospitality and wellness brands?

DK: I think they’re looking to express their inner beauty and cultural richness, looking to engage – in a Saudi context – with the kinds of experiences they’ve been able to have in Paris, Rome, New York.

The Saudization programme, which aims to engage more with the Saudi workforce, is equally applied to projects like the Boutique Group’s magnificent palaces and the Red Sea development’s incredible hotels. It’s a new dimension for tourism, a new dimension for hospitality. It takes the bar and raises it and adds depth and purpose to it.

It’s not about creating greater experiences; it’s about offering different types of experiences, whether in wellness, historical tourism such as in Alula, or pilgrimage tourism, which is arguably undergoing the greatest change of all.

QUO: You have spoken on many occasions about your deep love and respect for Saudi culture and its people. How would you encapsulate it for someone who has never visited?

DK: I think it’s difficult. I’m still learning, and I learn every time I go. There are cultural mores of generosity, warmth, kindness and giving that I think are unparalleled. I’ve never encountered a culture whose core values are so focused on delivering warmth and hospitality – giving up your own bed or your last food – because that’s what the culture demands. The history of Saudi Arabia has ingrained this level of selflessness in the people. That generosity and warmth of human connection are how they live and operate.

What I’ve experienced, visiting almost monthly now, is that I learn something new each time. I am enriched by the beauty of the people and the incredible richness of intelligence and sensibilities that the Saudi people have shared with me. It’s like nowhere else.

What has been your personal favourite anecdote from your time spent in the Kingdom thus far?

My favourite experiences have been the journeys I’ve been fortunate enough to take. I’ve completed three significant journeys, all by car, traversing the Kingdom. These trips helped me understand how enormous Saudi Arabia is and how diverse it is geographically – with mountains, water, deserts and cities.

One memorable moment was driving from Alula to NEOM, where I encountered landscapes I couldn’t believe existed on Earth. The different colours of rocks and types of mountain experiences, the emptiness, and the vastness were unlike anything I experienced even driving across America. It felt like being in another world, sparking an endless curiosity almost to the breaking point. It’s also an incredible land of discovery in terms of the people I meet.

What would be your advice for any business wishing to develop relationships in the Kingdom?

I would give the advice I was given many years ago as a child by my late uncle: Go to Saudi Arabia. Find your place, find your vision and engage. Learn and understand the relatively simple complexities. There are complexities, but understand how your purpose and vision can fit into the Saudi context.

The ministries are fairly well connected and straightforward in terms of navigation. The opportunity that an entrepreneur or a larger organisation has in Saudi Arabia is as great as it could be and as great as you want to make it.

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